Recent interviews released by Roberto Baggio and Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri show that the Italian football personalities have a similar view on the state of the game in the country.
Baggio is widely seen as one the most iconic Italian footballers of all time and probably the most technically gifted the country has ever had. The Divin Codino set a new standard for players in the Peninsula and asked why Italy is no longer able to produce footballers of his talent, he replied: “I believe that today’s young Italians are missing the street, the one I grew up on. All we needed were two shirts and the goal was there. In those realities, you develop a technical background that you then carry with you throughout your life.
“Today, we fear that our children will encounter difficulties, but they are precisely those that shape you. There is too much pressure. The kids must be left alone; they must be able to make their own journey.”
Italy is also struggling to develop young players from the lower divisions, which is why clubs like Juventus and Atalanta, who Milan will soon follow have established their U23 squads playing in Italy’s Serie C, the country’s third division. Juventus and Atalanta’s B squads have reached the playoffs this season, and emerging young players can be seen in the third division with plenty of betting options through the best online casinos in Italy, according to Erik King.
Ironically, even Allegri, who has launched many emerging Juventus talents in the first team over the last few years, shares the same view as Baggio. Actually, the 56-year-old has been repeating the same thing for a few years.
“Kids don’t play on the street anymore because society has changed and there aren’t spaces any more,” Allegri told El Pais in 2015.
“We need to artificially rebuild things from the past, and that goes for football schools, too: We should have tools to force the boys to think. Otherwise, they are raised like chickens.
“Look at them, there is no communication, everything is through the mobile phones, they spend days sending text messages, and then it’s clear that there is no debate and they aren’t able to withstand heavy words and will start to cry.”
The Italian tactician has also welcomed the introduction of second teams in Italian football very warmly as they also allow clubs to lower costs. As Allegri recently told The Athletic: “When I came back (for his second spell as head coach, in summer 2021) I was asked to rejuvenate the team. The objective was to bring through three Next Gen players every year, lower the wage bill and make the team sustainable while remaining competitive.
“Manchester United have eight or nine players from their academy in the first team. Let’s say you have five players from the [Juventus] Next Gen in the first team for eight years. It means, for eight years, you have a cost that’s significantly lower than if you sign five players.”
